The Painted Veil

The Painted Veil is a 1925 novel from British author W. Somerset Maugham. A lost girl named Kitty marries a guy named Walter Fane, a bacteriologist. The only reason that she marries him is so she can be married before her little sister Doris. She also had to get away from her mom. She moves to Hong Kong with her husband, and quickly gets bored. Kitty meets a guy named Charles Townsend who is the colonial secretary’s assistant. They start having an affair with each other. Her husband Walter finds out about the affair between Kitty and Charles and gives Kitty an ultimatum. She either has to go to the Chinese Interior to deal with the Cholera Epidemic where she could possibly get it and die, or he will divorce her which will stir up drama unless Charles says he’ll marry her. Kitty goes to talk to Charles who turns his back on her after telling her what she wanted to hear like he loved her and wanted to be with her. He tells her he will not divorce his wife to marry her. Charles’ true colors are revealed and Kitty goes back home to see that Walter has her bags packed because he knew Charles would say no. Broken hearted, Kitty goes to China. Kitty meets Waddington a British man living with a Chinese mistress and some nuns who are taking care of Cholera patients. She starts helping the nuns with their nursing and becomes humbled. Kitty finds out she’s pregnant and doesn’t know who the father is. Walter dies in the epidemic and Charles’ wife convinces Kitty into staying with them. Charles seduces her and she gives in one last time only to later become disgusted with herself. She ends up letting him know how she really feels. She goes back to the UK to find that her mom passed away. Her dad is made Chief Justice of a minor British Colony in the Caribbean. She talks her dad into letting her go with him there where her goal is to help her dad and raise her child in a life with no